The blood of SOLDIER
by Vergil Diva's chevalier
Summary: Saya, joins a mysterious group called SOLDIER in pursuit of information regarding one of Diva's chevaliers. However, as time passes and she comes to know her fellow members more, it becomes more than a mere mission to her. M for violence and some language
1. New blood

Alright, first the disclaimer; considering that this is in part a Final Fantasy VII fanfiction, allow me to state something right now; it should not be made of terrible suck. I don't mean to say that all fanfictions focused on such game are badly written or anything, but from my understanding they have gotten a bad reputation in the "world of fanfiction" so I figured I would mention that here. The usual, "I don't own this, I don't own that" stuff.

Also, I have played Final Fantasy VII (though I haven't beaten it. Got tired of fighting forever to level up my characters so now it awaits to be played again. ha) but I am not fanatically obsessed with making everything completely accurate. This does not mean Sephiroth was raised by Ewoks in Vietnam with Bruce Willis and his wife Bayonetta, but details may not be completely accurate. As well, I may just be making stupid mistakes, ha. Though hopefully such things will not occur. Keeping all of that in mind, I am sure within the first chapter alone many people will find inconsistencies between the game and my story, and if that bothers you, I apologize, but I will not wear myself out trying to make this a copy and paste of Final Fantasy VII with Blood+; it is my story, I am merely stealing themes and characters(which I cannot legally be held responsible for, heh) from previously established series and using them in my story.

Now that my long, drawn out explanation/rant/tea party has finished pleased continue reading. Or do not; more tea for the rest of us.

* * *

The lobby of the Shinra electric power company was nothing if not big; in terms of the height of floors of "normally" sized buildings she would say it was four stories, at least. Its appearance was a mix of rich flavor and standard business style. The first floor held two elevators to the right and left of the entrance, though they were several yards away, a large reception desk with two staff directly opposite the entrance door, and two large, curving staircases on either side of the reception desk, leading up to the second floor.

From what she could see, the second floor seemed to be more lounge-like in focus, as well as having elevators up there as well. The elevators were of a particularly interesting design in that their shafts were circular and made of what appeared to be green Plexiglas.

However, as much as she would have liked to take a tour of the building, she needed to stay focused on her reason for coming here.

"_I'll probably get the chance to take a tour later on, anyway." _She thought while walking across the marble floor to the reception desk, and talking to the person on her right behind the desk, a young lady with short hair and a suit-like uniform.

"Excuse me, I'd like to go to the office for a group called SOLDIER, but I don't know where it's located." She spoke as respectfully as she could.

The receptionist seemed confused, if minutely, and informed her in a likewise-respectful voice that the SOLDIER floor did not accept guests.

"Oh, I'm not visiting, I recently entered it, but I've never been there before."

Both ladies behind the desk seemed befuddled at that statement, despite the fact she'd only been talking to the one girl.

"_You're _in _SOLDIER_?!" She asked in an uncharacteristic tone, catching the attention of other people who were standing in the lobby.

"Well, more like I just _got _into it, but like I said," she spoke, smiling in a somewhat embarrassed way and blushing slightly "I don't know where I'm supposed to go."

No doubt they were both wondering how she could have gotten into such a prestigious group if she didn't even know where to find it's office, but the receptionist in front of her picked up a phone and dialed in a few keys as she waited.

In a few moments she heard someone answer the phone on the other end, and from the receptionist's tone, as well as the person's title of "mister director" she guessed it was the head of SOLDIER. All the youthful receptionist had to say was "there is a young lady here to see you" and the director told her to send the "girl in question" up.

"He'll see you now. Just get in an elevator and choose 'SOLDIER director's office'."

She felt a bit dumb that it was something so obvious, but thanked the receptionist and then walked back towards the entrance, though she veered left towards one of the two elevators as she did so. To be honest, she found it a bit strange how small they were, as the size only allowed for one adult to comfortably stand in it, but it wasn't as if she was going to try and take the stairs just because the elevators were a little cramped.

As her steps echoed throughout the lobby she reached one of the elevators and saw a plate on the side of the doors, as opposed to a button. Figuring it might have the same function, she tapped it with a finger anyway, but got no response. She frowned in thought and wondered what she was supposed to do before a nearby person informed her that you had to place your entire hand on the plate.

"Oh, thank you." She spoke in gratitude before doing so. It glowed white for a moment, apparently not just some normal plate, and then the elevator door slid around the circular elevator, allowing her entrance.

Walking into it, and seeing that the floor was thankfully made of a solid, non-transparent material, she looked at the faceplate within the elevator which chose where she would go and thanked her luck that it was a normal interface. Choosing the "Director of SOLDIER's office" button, the door slid closed once more, sealing as it did so, and the elevator rose with a soft sound reminiscent of a puff of air.

It rose above the lobby, and afterwards all the floors were unable to be seen as the doors were translucent and the walls were solid as well. The lack of music in the elevator and also the non-existent sound of the elevator's source of power felt very strange, combined with the see-through qualities of most of its material. It made her feel like she was "away from the ordinary" all the more. Though then again, her life hadn't been ordinary for quite some time now.

Per the instructions she'd been given, she hadn't brought any luggage with her. Apparently a SOLDIER wore a uniform, so there was no need for clothing, and any and all amenities were provided for her or paid for on her behalf. However, she doubted she could go on a shopping spree on a mega-corporation's tab.

It was strange that she had never once heard of the Shinra electric company. In fact, virtually _no one_ had until the past year or so, which was when Midgar, the city in which Shinra had been established, had first communicated with the outside world. How they had remained so isolated and so self-sufficient after all this time she was unsure of, but they had kept their secret a, well... a _secret_, from at least the public.

All she knew was that within the first year of making its presence known to the world, Shinra had erupted into an enormous and powerful enterprise. And somehow, despite the number of staff employed, it had also managed to keep the key of its near-instantaneous success a secret from any and all prying eyes of other corporations and militaries.

SOLDIER, a special subsidiary group of Shinra, was essentially its special operations unit, comprised of a relatively small group of elite individuals who were rumored to have "special powers and abilities". Among the three "classes" of SOLDIER, the 1sts were by far the most powerful and supposedly had never shown their abilities to the outside world, due to their abilities wanting to be made secret.

She was joining SOLDIER as a new recruit; 3rd class, level 1. But she was sure that with her own unique abilities, she would be able to rise to the level of "1st" fairly quickly. Not that it was important to her to become 1st class SOLDIER, but it would help her significantly in her-

"SOLDIER Director's office." A calm, female voice announced from some speaker in the ceiling of the elevator as it ceased movement and the door whooshed open. It revealed a hallway that ended in a wall with a couch in front of it. But luckily for her sanity, there was also a break in the wall up ahead to the left, which signified there was likely an actual office here, as opposed to just a dead-end hallway.

Her shoes made an unusually loud sound as she walked down the hall, towards the office. She did not know if her shoes were actually making more noise as she walked down the tiled hallway, or if it just _seemed _that way due to her nervousness.

The office did not seem to be another room in itself, but instead, a separate part of the hallway with the opening between the two narrowed with glass displaying the Shinra company logo. A narrow carpet stretched out from it as well, seeming to invite her in.

"_Well at least I won't have to worry about knocking on the door." _She thought, trying to alleviate the stress from her mind.

The hallway seemed to go on forever, and it felt like an endless corridor of grey ceilings, walls, and floor, with the row of lights near the edge of the ceiling adding an almost alien-like feeling. It made her feel like she was within a tomb, for some reason, only instead of dying she had been doomed to wander around it forever.

Milky glass added an almost haunted house-like feeling, as she could see that there were things on the other side of it, but could not tell what they were. Soon, however, she'd reached the end of her "respite", and took a deep breath.

The girl stepped out in front of the opening to the office and turned inward towards it. Immediately she noticed the large windows opposite her, as well as a narrow, almost triangular table to her left with documents on it, but the things she noticed the most were the slightly curved desk in front of the windows, and the blonde-haired, well-dressed man who sat behind it.

For a moment his glasses seemed to shine white, keeping her incapable of seeing his eyes, but then he readjusted them and she saw green eyes gazing out from behind the framed glass. His skin looked fair, fairer than it should, though not so much as to make him look effeminate. The structure of his face spoke of some kind of royal lineage, and he looked both bold and intelligent at the same time. It was strange, but she felt like she was looking at a king's portrait, as opposed to a living person in real life.

"Please, come in." He spoke, his voice smooth and confident.

"Thank you." She responded before walking into the room.

He wore a suit of dark blue, with thin, white pinstripes down it, as well as an off-white shirt below it. His tie was a brighter blue which seemed to contrast with the darker hue of the suit. She looked back at his eyes, which continued to look out at her from behind the silver-framed glasses.

The man stood up and offered her a hand, which she noticed was wearing a thin, white glove.

"I'm Henry Dalton, Director of SOLDIER. Though I suppose due to formalities, once we are done here you will have to call me Director Dalton." He spoke, his mouth curved upwards to symbolize kindness, but not necessarily smiling.

She took his hand and shook it, his handshake was firm, but it wasn't tight.

"_What a person for a managerial position." _She thought, wondering if what she'd heard before had been false.

"I'm pleased to meet you, miss…"

"Saya Otonashi. I'm pleased to meet you as well."

They shook once more and then she sat down in a chair which looked like it had recently been brought up in front of the desk as he sat back down in his own.

"I hope you don't mind if I cut right to the chase; your abilities, though observed and documented, are rather curious in nature, as you said you were not exposed to mako."

Mako was what one could consider the lifeblood of the planet. And only a few people who had anything to do with the outside world knew of its existence; those who now worked for Shinra, or who had become citizens of Midgar. In both cases you had to agree that you would never talk about Mako energy or substances to people from other parts of the world, unless it was previously made public by an official company statement.

It was also what gave a SOLDIER their powers, and she imagined, what allowed Shinra to keep Midgar self-sustaining despite the fact it did not trade much with other nations or countries. However, since she had admitted that she had never been exposed to Mako, it had drawn up some questions of how she could possess the abilities and characteristics that she did.

"That is true; I have not been exposed to Mako personally. But, my mother once lived in a place near a very large tree, for many years, and she recalled seeing various abnormal things in nature, while she lived there. The place where she lived had also apparently been confirmed not to have been polluted. She did not keep any records while she lived there, as it was far from civilization, and I have never been there myself, but I can only imagine that is how I came to be gifted with the abilities that I have." She spoke, lying. He seemed like a nice man, or at the very least, a decent one. If she told him the real source of her powers though, allowing her to be a member of SOLDIER would probably be a distant consideration compared to dissecting her or merely studying her and keeping her locked in a cage somewhere. It reminded her of someone else whom she did not want to turn out like.

"I see. So you believe you gained your abilities via your mother's transmission of them."

"Yes."

"And, where is your mother now?"

Saya looked away, but just enough that he would get the feeling that it was a difficult thing for her to talk about.

"She…died. A long time ago."

"I see. I am sorry to hear that."

Her gaze returned to the Director.

"But I know that if she were alive she would want me to utilize my talents and abilities to help people. And SOLDIER seems like the best place for me to do that, without ending up just becoming another test subject in a lab somewhere."

"You make a good point." He said, setting his elbows on the table and intertwining his hands.

"I don't mean to sound ethnocentric, but the outside world is not yet ready for the knowledge of the existence of mako. That is why we ask that those whom we enlighten with this information never convey such… disillusionment to said people, and wait until they are gradually informed of its existence."

"I understand completely. I am willing to sign any other documents that you would wish me to sign, if necessary."

His mouth curved upward, showing a sign of humor, as he allowed his hands to come away and sat up straight again.

"Oh no, no. We have other groups in our company that handle all of that paperwork. Everything that you have already filled out is all that was necessary for you to become a member of SOLDIER. I am merely speaking with you on a person-to-person basis so that we can get acquainted with one another and 'iron everything out' so to speak."

"There _was _one question that I had for you." She offered, since he'd brought up the subject.

"Yes?"

"I was told that I don't need any of my belongings now that I am going to be a member of SOLDIER. Does that mean that I also will not need my own living space anymore?"

"Correct. Though you _will_ have your own place in which to live, it will be in a building complex which other SOLDIER operatives occupy. Aside from SOLDIER 1st class, all members of the group live in the dormitory block, or rather, the SOLDIER apartment building, if you wish to think of it that way."

"And clothes are provided for me?"

"Clothes, plates, utensils, furniture, an apartment, a television, a private bathroom, and many other common amenities are all provided by the company, as well as a monthly wage, of course."

"If you don't mind my asking, when will I move in to my new lodgings?"

"Right away, actually. I have the key to your apartment right here." He said, pulling open a desk drawer and placing a key stamped with the Shinra logo on the desk, before closing the drawer.

"Though that brings up a particular point which I have wanted to address. You may or may not be aware, but other than yourself, there are no female SOLDIER operatives in the entirety of the group."

"Really?"

"Yes. It isn't due to any manner of discrimination, I assure you. But for whatever reason most female bodies seem to take in mako and then treat them like stem cells wherever in the body they are needed. An important medical discovery, of _course_, but due to such events, no females have ever been able to join the ranks of SOLDIER. One could say that their bodies adapt to mako more naturally, which is the reason why they never go through any change."

"I see."

"Due to your unique situation, you may find that you will garner much… attention and popularity from the other members of SOLDIER."

She started to blush, but before she could say anything he spoke again, though his voice did not sound rushed.

"However, SOLDIER is an organized group; a disciplined sect of gifted individuals, and as such there should be no cause for worry of any misconduct. If such insubordination were to occur, against all odds, please contact me directly and I shall take care of it personally."

His assertiveness caught her off guard, since so far he had seemed rather controlled in his mentions of certain topics.

"Th- thank you Director Dalton."

He seemed amused at her proactive use of his official title and even threatened to smile.

"Once you become a part of it and become integrated into it SOLDIER becomes an extended family, not a military organization within a huge conglomerate. I know it will be difficult at first, but I hope that in time you can come to consider us all as family members."

She continued to look at him as he stood up from his chair.

"Now, if there was nothing else that you wanted to talk about, I would like to give you a tour of the SOLDIER floor, just to get you acquainted with your new place of business."

"Oh, thank you. I had wanted to take a tour of the place which I'd be working at."

"Then it is your lucky day," he spoke, handing the girl her apartment keys.

"Saya Otonashi; member of SOLDIER."


	2. Angeal Hewley

"SOLDIER floor." The calm voice informed her like it had before as the door whooshed open once more. This time it revealed a large area as opposed to the nearly one-way layout of the Director's office.

"_Speaking of the Director." _She thought, hearing a chime as his elevator arrived as well and she walked out of her elevator so that she would be there when he exited his own.

A moment later he stepped into view and immediately took sight of her.

"Now, then, let me start by showing you the hallway which SOLDIER operatives usually frequent when they're not at home or out on a mission."

She nodded and they walked across the shiny, reflective marble floor which greeted anyone that first arrived by elevator, onto the still-clean but more modest grey floor which made up most of the hallway. Technically speaking, the hallway seemed to be set up in a square shape, though at some of the corners it widened out to give more room. The inner walls were lined with benches and mostly visible through huge windows that allowed her to see the other side of the room. The outer wall was vacant of any doors or windows as they walked counter-clockwise to the first corner, and then left once they reached it.

"Though a lot of SOLDIER operatives like to go out and enjoy themselves about Midgar, for the most part they are either here or out on assignment; being a SOLDIER is certainly not a job for those who aren't committed." He informed her.

As they walked she saw young men walking around in uniforms consisting of baggy pants, sleeveless shirts made of what looked like a thin sweater material and combat boots. There was a piece of leather stomach armor emblazoned with the Shinra company's logo on it which looked almost like a cummerbund. It attached suspenders connected to black shoulder armor to the belt of the pants, as well as gloves were more unique features of the uniforms. But by far the most distinguishing factor of their uniform was the whole-head metal helmets which they wore, with what appeared to be a metal visor covering their faces.

"Um, excuse me…" She spoke in a hushed tone to Director Dalton.

"Yes, what is it?" He asked as they neared a "corner" which widened out significantly.

"I was just wondering, if they can see with those helmets on their heads." She spoke quietly so as not to disturb any of the other members, though it still caused her to feel embarrassed, asking the question.

He gave what amount to a soft chuckle as they neared the end of an outer wall, or rather, where it turned outwards to encompass the widened space at the corner.

"The faceplate is made of a special material which looks like metal, but is actually transparent from the inside. It gives second and third-class SOLDIER operatives information on their current mission, battle statistics and even the time of day. We're working on getting Tetris on them as well." He joked, causing her to smile in amusement.

"I see."

They reached the point where the outer wall expanded outwards, and immediately to their right was a door with an illuminated blue light on it and the words "TRAINING ROOM" spelled across its middle.

"This is obviously the training room. SOLDIER operatives practice and hone their skills in here when they get the time to make sure that their skills don't get rusty if their duties are less combat-oriented than usual. There is a simulator room inside which allows them to replicate virtually any location in Midgar, and it is being expanded with programs to simulate the _rest _of the world as _well_."

"That's amazing, I didn't know they _had _such technology in the world."

He seemed either amused or flattered.

"Well that is one of the perks of being isolated, for the most part, from the rest of civilization; your ideas and advancements remain your own."

Saya looked at him and he continued their tour by walking forward and showing her a sort of lounge area for SOLDIER members; an open space and a set of steps that led down to a large table with connected benches as well as more huge windows that looked out on the city.

She had to admit that despite all the places she had seen, not one of them had the flavor of the outer walls of Midgar which she could see through the windows. To just have something such as them exist in real life, it made her feel like she was in a book or something.

"Shall we continue on?" He asked.

Saya nodded, and they turned left once again. This time on the outside wall they were met with a door with an illuminated _red _light on it and the words "MATERIA ROOM" imprinted on it.

"This is where we produce materia; substances consisting of solidified mako energy which, when equipped, gives the user extraordinary powers. They are part of what lend SOLDIER operatives their immense battle capabilities in combat."

"Will I be able to use those at some point?" She asked, to which he seemed amused once more, like she were child asking if she would be able to drive one day.

"Yes. Though when you first join SOLDIER a point is made to make sure that you are both capable of using and _reliable _enough to be _allowed _to use materia; they are extremely powerful, as I said before."

She nodded once more and they continued on down the hall, passing by more SOLDIER operatives who seemed to look in their direction upon passing. Saya noticed that it made her slightly uneasy seeing them looking in her direction without being able to see where their eyes were looking. It also cut off a large degree of their facial expressions from view.

"You may have noticed that the uniform which each SOLDIER wears is not the same color; the color of their uniform signifies their rank; blue is third-class, purple is second-class, and black is first-class. However, most 1sts are permitted to, and do, wear their own choice of clothing as a sign of distinction. So you often won't see anyone wearing the typical first-class solder uniform."

"I _did _notice the change in colors, but I didn't know if it had any significance on their position or rank."

They turned another corner, and continued down the hall… and Saya caught a glimpse of someone with what appeared to be long, silver hair entering an elevator. As the person turned around, their black, leather trench coat swaying with them, she noticed that the person was a man. Saya couldn't see anymore defining details, however, as the elevator door closed, making him appear opaque before it descended down its transparent shaft of Plexiglas.

Director Dalton seemed to notice that something had caught her attention, and asked what it had been.

"I thought I saw someone with long, silver hair entering the elevator." She explained to him.

"Ah, yes. He is the very epitome of the SOLDIER first class; in fact, should we ever be unfortunate enough to become engaged in war, he will be the head general of the entire army; leading the army on the frontlines as well as coordinating them in terms of strategy."

"But he seemed so young." She mentioned, forgetting a very simple fact.

"He can't be any younger than you." Director Dalton spoke, half-joking. "In fact I think he's a few years _older_."

Saya had forgotten, if only for a moment, that she did not look her age at all; an appearance of sixteen years of age didn't exactly speak volumes of a long life.

"I'm sure you will meet him later, as well as the other first-class SOLDIER members." Director Dalton explained to her as they came to the third and final door of the outermost wall, back near the elevators from which they had started the tour.

The door which greeted them had yellow lights illuminating it and the words "BRIEFING ROOM" imprinted on it.

"This is where you will receive your supplies for coming missions, as well as receive your orders for them in the room past it. You'll likely be in here a lot, so why don't we go inside?"

"Sure." She agreed, and he walked towards the door. It slid up into the ceiling without him needing to press a single button and she followed him into the briefing room as he led the way.

As they walked into the room she immediately noticed that the wall opposite the one they were entering through was predominantly opaque glass, with an entrance door made of the same material and bearing the designation "BRIEFING ROOM" on the far right.

"That is where the actual briefing room is and where missions briefings and debriefings take place." He informed her.

"And to your _left _are the supply pods."

Saya turned her gaze in the corresponding direction and noticed that immediately left of the door through which they'd just passed was a row of machines, the bottom of which looked sort of like a pop dispense machine and top of which looked like glowing bluish-white cylinders with rounded tops and bottom which were fed through small pipes into the ceiling. The setup appeared to be much like one of those drive-through machines they had at many pharmacies.

"Before you go on a mission be sure to check yours for an item to help you on your assignment. I believe your number was six." He spoke, walking over to the supply pod marked "06" and opening it. Surprisingly the area near the illuminated cylinders was the place which opened, not the lower area which had resembled a dispenser.

Saya noticed, as he pulled neatly-folded clothes from it, that it appeared to be a new uniform.

"Well, it seems everyone is doing their jobs wonderfully today; this is your new SOLDIER uniform, Saya." He explained to her, handing the girl the clothing.

Saya examined the items which he handed her and noticed that they seemed to be at least somewhat different from the clothes the male SOLDIER operatives had been wearing. Which was good, because she didn't think suspenders would bode too well with her.

"I'll tell you what; how about I leave the room and stand guard outside while you change? Just put your normal clothes into the supply pod and I'll have a female staff member pick them up later on and ship them back to your listed living address."

She looked up at him, and felt as if she didn't really have choice. Though she could tell he wasn't trying to pressure her, his… charisma was overwhelming her.

"Alright."

"Just come outside when you're ready, and we'll finish up."

"Okay. I'll be right out."

He nodded, and left the room, letting the door close behind her.

"_I hope they don't have cameras in here or anything." _She thought while placing the uniform on the most level part of the pods that she could, and then she bent over and began undoing her shoes.

Really this wasn't that bad; they hadn't searched her for any malicious devices, questioned her in-depth about her life, or had her do anything demeaning. At the very least this shouldn't be too bad of an experience.

"Aside from being the only girl in an apartment building full of young guys." She thought out loud as she got done with her shoes.

That man she'd seen enter the elevator though… there was something about him. She didn't know if mako gave off some sort of aura, but she got a very imposing feeling from him. Not in that he was trying to be intimidating, but rather, he seemed to be of such ability that for some reason her body felt inadequate. It was difficult to describe.

Saya wondered if all of the first class soldiers were as strong as he seemed to be. Because if they _were _she would have a problem.

Her old pants and shirt had been on the floor for only a moment or two before she'd pulled the pants out from beneath the other clothes and pulled them on, noting that they didn't seem as baggy as the other SOLDIER operatives' pants had been.

The shirt was different than the others. Its material remained the same, but it had sleeves which extended just past her triceps and then was held to her arm by some sort of elastic-like material at the end of the sleeve.

The boots which she had been given to wear, which would feel sort of strange for a while since she had never really worn boots before, also seemed lighter.

A cummerbund-like piece of leather was absent, as well as suspenders, but in their place was a sort of gun-holster setup which crossed leather straps over her back and under her arms to hold the smaller shoulder armor in place.

Her gloves were also noticeably much thinner in appearance, and almost looked like fashion gloves compared to ones which a soldier was supposed to wear.

The thinness of the sweater material didn't make it possible to see through it, but she couldn't help but feel like it would… accent her chest area. One could only hope it wouldn't draw her too many glances from the SOLDIER operatives beneath their faceplates.

All in all though, it could have been worse off; she _did _feel like it would be flexible and it allowed her a good range of motion, as opposed to just transforming herself into eye candy.

"_I wonder if the weapon I use has to be issued to me by the company as well, or if I'm allowed to use my own." _She thought.

Saya had made the switch from fencing to Kenjutsu, Japanese swordsmanship, before; she could manage once more, but it took a while to get accustomed to new styles and her sword also had sentimental value. And this was all based on the theory that she would be issued a sword; she had heard that SOLDIER used swords for melee and materia for long range combat, but she'd never considered that she might just be given a gun, which she did not know how to use.

She took a breath and then placed her old clothing into the supply pod.

"_Worrying about it won't do me any good." _She thought to herself as the panels of the supply pod closed and she walked over to the door. As expected, it opened for her, and she walked back out into the hall.

She noticed that Director Dalton was standing in front of the door, though not looking in towards her; she was speaking with another SOLDIER operative whom she couldn't see from behind the tall man. However, when the door closed, making an electronic sound as it did so, he turned to face her.

"Ah, Saya, how do the clothes fit?"

"They're just the right size. It's almost like someone handmade them for me."

He threatened to chuckle again.

"That's because they were; an advantage of being the only female SOLDIER operative. Since there wasn't a previously-produced uniform for female members yours was made as one of a kind."

"I see." She spoke.

He seemed to remember the man who stood behind him and moved out of the way so that she could see him. The first thing she noticed was that he wore no helmet, and the second thing she noticed was that his uniform was black. The _final _thing she noticed was that he had a huge sword somehow suspending from his back.

The man looked muscled; it wasn't at the point where it would define who he was to those who did not know him, but he definitely looked stronger than anyone she knew. He had virtually no facial hair but for a small line around his chin area which thinned out as it drew up to the sides. His hair was parted in the middle, though it was also kept back and seemed about medium length.

His face, as well as the standard 1st-class uniform which he wore, made him stand out as a leader of SOLDIER, not just as an elite member of the already-elite group. It spoke of a humble background as well and she got the feeling that he'd grown up in a country town.

"Saya, I would like you to meet Angeal Hewley; SOLDIER 1st class and the mentor of many, if not _all _current SOLDIER operatives."

Angeal seemed a bit amused at his impressive introduction and stepped forward.

"He exaggerates; I've helped some people here and there." He spoke modestly, his deep voice cementing his impression as a leader that much more.

The man offered her his hand with a smile and she accepted it, smiling back.

"My name is Saya Otonashi."

"You're from Japan." He spoke as their hands came away, a mix of a statement and a question.

"_Among other places." _She thought before nodding.

"Yes, I grew up in a place called Okinawa."

"I've wanted to go to Japan ever since I learned about it, but the Director's always keeping me too busy. Plus I'm not allowed to go out in public in the 'outside world' unless I'm wearing sunglasses and a fancy beard."

She chuckled a bit and Director Dalton gave an "ahem" to get back into the conversation. It was the first sign of being uncomfortable that she'd seen him give.

"Well there _are _only _four _of you, after all. It's difficult to allow you to go sightseeing when you have do the work of many times your number."

Angeal acknowledged him, but his attention was momentarily shifted to a pair of 2nds that were walking past the group who greeted him. He greeted them back and as they passed, the Director offered for Angeal to show Saya to where her "work tool" was.

"That's right; things have been so quiet lately and everyone has been walking around without their weapons that I'd almost forgotten you hadn't been given yours yet." He explained.

"I talked to some of them about that." Angeal spoke. "I'm planning to get everyone together later on so that I can tell them all to remain prepared. Just because things are quiet doesn't mean they can slack off." He said in a somewhat joking tone.

"One can always rely on you to keep the troops in line, Angeal. It allows me to work on what I have to do as opposed to employee management as well."

"We'll lead the troops, sir; you just tell us where to go and why we're going there and we can handle the rest."

With that the Director nodded, and he and Saya exchanged goodbyes before he turned around and headed back towards the elevators.

"Well then, shall we?" He asked.

She nodded and said "yes, sir", and then they started walking down the hall.

"You've probably already been in the training room, but we keep the standard SOLDIER swords in there for training purposes."

"I've been _by _it, but I didn't get the chance to go _inside _it yet. Though I've heard the simulator in there is amazing."

Angeal gave a small chuckle as they rounded the inner corner once, then again, so that they were heading down the hall which would lead them back to the training room.

"Yeah, it's surprising how many programs are in it. And they've started incorporating simulations of the 'outer world' as well now."

"Director Dalton told me that as well; it's scary how quickly scientists can come up with new things."

"Well don't forget, those scientists wouldn't be able to do their job if they weren't under protection. It's easy to think in a quiet place when you've got a war going on outside to keep it quiet _inside_."

They both chuckled that time and came upon the training room, which he stood in front of.

"After you." He offered politely.

"_At the very least this man seems very kind. I'm glad they aren't a bunch of gung-ho soldiers." _She thought, nodding in appreciation and entering the room.

Inside she saw an entire wall of a sort of lightly-green-tinted glass, as well as a door of matching material which allowed entry into the blue, computer-looking from within. Though with people with "superpowers" sparring inside she imagined that all of the materials used in the room's construction were extremely durable.

The rest of the room seemed to be colored in the normal grays of a room which was more focused on practicality than on aesthetics.

Tall, thick metal boxes which looked like they contained supercomputers lined the wall to her left, and multiple people in lab coats seemed to be maintaining them. Meanwhile, to her _right _were some lockers which she imagined held the sword which she would be given.

She heard Angel come in behind her as she walked forward, and then turned towards him to see him open a locker.

"Though they're left here for training purposes, they're by no means flimsy little toys." He spoke, pulling a double-sided straight-bladed sword from the locker.

It looked well-made, and the metal seemed thick. She also imagined it was balanced for one-handed or two-handed use.

"There's a magnetic piece on the back of all SOLDIER uniforms, that's how we can walk around carrying swords on our backs." He explained, offering the sword to her.

Saya reached out and took hold of it, with Angeal letting go as she did so.

"Tell me, Saya, have you ever used a sword before?"

She nodded her head.

"For many years now. I started out with fencing, then I moved on to Kenjutsu. However, I'm not used to using this kind of a sword."

"I see."

"Actually, I was wondering; when am I allowed to use my own sword? I noticed that you have a different one than the common design yourself. Is it because you're first-class?"

He grinned and pulled his large sword from his back, gazing at it.

"That's the reason I'm allowed to use it as my weapon." He explained before placing his forehead against the flat side of the huge blade.

"Though to be honest I carry it more for sentimental reasons than for combat. I rarely use it."

Saya reached behind her back and placed the hand guard of her sword against the magnetic part Angeal had told her about, and felt it attracted to the metal piece. She took her hand away from it, and the weapon remained in place.

"Why is that?"

"Use gathers wear, tear, and rust. It would be a waste to ruin this sword just for the sake of making things easier in battle." Angeal explained as he placed it back in its holding place.

"Plus I'm pretty cheap; I don't want to have to replace it."

She smiled in humor and shook her head.

"I see."

He smiled back at her before his gaze seemed to gain more meaning to it and he looked away for a few moments.

"Saya, tell me, why did you join SOLDIER?"

She was surprised by the question; she hadn't expected such a direct request.

"There's… something that I need to do. Being here is going to help me with that."

"Something you need to do?"

She nodded.

"Yes. But I have to do it alone, otherwise others could get hurt."

Saya knew she'd left a huge opening for him to either inquire what her mission was, ask how it was dangerous, if he could help, if they should report it to the Director, or many other questions. Yet when he finally reacted to her statement, it was to turn back towards the door which they'd just entered and walk over to it, causing the object to slide into the ceiling again.

"I won't try to meddle in your affairs; it's your business. But, whatever happens, don't give up on your dreams, or your honor."

His response confused her, and she turned towards him as he looked over her shoulder.

"In your case, remember to hold onto something to fight _for_; in missions like the one you've mentioned, the greatest threat is not completing the mission, but living a normal life after it is accomplished. And to do _that _you will need to maintain your integrity as a person."

She felt her surprise leak through, and he grinned once more, walking out of the room.

"Now then, let's go downstairs and have some lunch!" He announced.

"Uh- um. Angeal! Oh- I mean sir! Wait! I mean, please!" She stumbled while chasing after the chuckling man as the door closed behind her as well.


	3. Sephiroth

"Um, sir? Please, wait!" She spoke, still unaccustomed to calling the man by an official title. That man in the black trench coat she could have easily seen as a person she'd have to use the "sir" title with, but Angeal seemed much more friendly.

It wasn't really very necessary for her to say so again, because he had reached the elevators and was stopping anyway, but he seemed to recall something as she reached him as well and turned back towards her.

"Oh, hey, I almost forgot. Here." He spoke, pulling out something from one of his pockets which she recognized as a flip-phone.

"All SOLDIER members have one of these. From what I've heard, they aren't as advanced as some of the ones you have in the outside world, but since Shinra hasn't allowed any of the outside companies to build signal towers here, these are the only cell phones which will work in Midgar and the areas around it." Angeal explained, handing it to her.

"Oh, I see. Thank you, sir."

He nodded and then turned back towards the nearest elevator.

"I put in the number of a few other SOLDIER operatives, just in case you ever need help with anything. Don't worry, I didn't check any of your messages or anything."

"Really? Thank you. Though I hope I can meet these other people who you're talking about before I have to call them; it would feel awkward otherwise."

The man seemed amused, but he didn't chuckle as the elevator door opened.

"Don't worry, you'll meet them all soon enough." He explained while stepping into his elevator.

"Sorry we can't share one, because they're so small. Just tap the 'Cafeteria' button when you get inside." Angeal instructed her as he pushed a button in his own elevator.

"See you soon." He spoke in passing while gesturing with his hand in the air.

She smiled and nodded as the elevator door closed and then the elevator descended down past the floor.

Saya walked to the other elevator and placed her hand on the hand plate. It glowed like before and then she heard a chime, likely informing her that it was on its way up.

As she waited Saya flipped open the phone which was primarily silver and black with the red Shinra logo on the flipping portion. The initial background was a Shinra logo, but she could probably change it. The menus had a sort of pale green tint to them and she noticed it had a text-messaging feature as well. Considering it was a phone provided to her by her workplace for free, it actually wasn't all that bad.

"_I wonder who the people are that he put in here." _She thought, going to the address book.

There were four names listed, with individual phone numbers for each; Angeal, Genesis, Sephiroth, Zack. The dramatic flavor of the first three names were completely vacant on the fourth, which sounded like a person who you could meet on the street.

The elevator arrived and she stepped into it, tapping the button for "CAFETERIA" and waiting for the door to close. As it did, something occurred to her.

"_These are all the 1__st__ class SOLDIER operatives?" _She thought, flabbergasted.

"_I can't believe he just gave me all of their numbers like that." _

It was possible that he was the only first-class person in the address book, but the fact that there were four 1st class members, according to the Director, and four names in the address book when he just happened to be 1st class himself seemed like too much of a coincidence to ignore.

Saya sighed at the man's outgoing personality, despite what she assumed to be a strict adherence to "SOLDIER honor". He was definitely a person worthy of respect, and undoubtedly worthy of his position in the organization.

She was about to flip her phone closed when it began ringing. A moment later, Angeal's name appeared on the screen. Saya swallowed before tapping the button that corresponded with "ACCEPT".

"Hello?" She asked, not sure if she should have said 'sir'.

"Saya, I know it's strange for me to call you when we just saw each other, but I have something that just came up that I have to take care of, so I'm afraid I won't be able to stay for lunch."

"Oh, it's alright."

"Just tell the person that gives you the food that you're a new employee and you won't have to worry about paying. When you're ready to go to your apartment just call Genesis. He can take you there."

"But sir-"

"Talk to you later."

He hung up, and she felt like she'd been left "hanging in the breeze".

"_He wants me to call another of the highest-ranking people here when I haven't even been introduced to him yet?" _She wondered, nervous already.

Saya hadn't gotten the impression that he was being a jerk or anything like that, but it was still going to be difficult asking for the assistance of someone who was much higher on the chain of command than her, and whom she hadn't met before.

"_Well, maybe I'll see him down here and get the chance to introduce myself before I have to ask him to take me to my new home." _She hoped as the elevator door opened, revealing a huge room filled mostly with long table with benches attached to them. Along the entire wall opposite her was a counter for trays to be slid along, and the holding areas for food behind those, stationed by lunch personnel.

Saya spotted trays on the far right of the counter, stacked up to be taken, and decided to at least get some food in her.

Almost the moment she stepped out of the elevator, however, she noticed that a large majority of the feasting Shinra employees turned their attention to her, and she smiled nervously as she tried to work her way around the edge of the room.

"_I hope it isn't going to be like this for a long time." _She thought as she noticed the eyes were following her. At least the ones that she could _see _seemed to be doing so.

Eventually those who had looked up at her looked back down at their trays and resumed eating, but she could tell that a few of the SOLDIER operatives' heads remained higher than the others, and wished she could see where they were looking.

The room was grey; there wasn't any use in aesthetics down here, and the two stairwells that rose up from the corners of the room bordering the lunch counter seemed to constantly have _someone _traveling up or down them.

A variety of smells permeated the air, all of which seemed quite inviting and _also _all of which belonged to food.

It would be nice to have something to eat; it would help take her mind off of things.

"_I wonder where I'll sit." _She thought, noticing that most of the seats seemed to be taken.

Saya took a dark green tray out of a stack of them and placed it on the counter, sliding it not a foot down before politely requesting from the food staff who stood behind the counter for some of the food.

"I haven't seen a female SOLDIER operative before. Did you just sign up?" He asked her.

"Mhm. I just joined today, in fact. Though it's a bit intimidating because everyone seems to look at me a lot."

"Well if nothing else, the 1sts will like you for that; usually they can't get _anyone _to stop looking at _them_. The price of being a celebrity, I suppose."

She nodded, and continued on down the line, getting more and more food, and gradually impressing the lunchroom workers with how much food she was getting until she ultimately stopped when her tray ran out of room for food.

"I was told that I should tell you that I just joined today, so I haven't been paid yet." She told the final worker whom she spoke to.

"It's no problem. SOLDIER members usually get special treatment anyway; they're generally allowed to skip payment for a day even if it's only because they _forgot _to bring money."

"I see."

"Though with how much food _you _get, you may have to start a _tab_." The person joked.

She chuckled and thanked them before pulling her tray away from the counter and facing the ensemble of lunch tables again.

Saya noticed that almost immediately people were shoving their friends off of their seats to make room for her and didn't know whether to feel embarrassed, flattered, or just plain anxious.

"_Great. Well at least I know I won't be unpopular. At least not until my fifteen minutes wear off." _She thought while scanning the tables for some open seats where she would actually have some space around her-

She spotted a table that was all-but empty, and as her eyes settled on it, she realized why; a familiar-looking man with long, silver hair, and a black leather trench coat with a tall collar sat in the middle of the table, quietly eating his food.

"_Well, since I'm going to have to talk to him eventually I might as well introduce myself now." _She thought. Though that was only part of her motivation to sit by him. Despite the fact he was supposed to be famous amongst Shinra, and even Midgar in _general_, she didn't get the feeling he was sitting alone because of his celebrity status.

Saya could heard a few people commenting on where she was going to sit, but didn't really listen to any of them in detail as she approached the table, one on the very end of one of the sides, and walked down the row between it and the table across from it. She didn't want to try and sit right next to him, after all.

Saya noticed as she drew closer that he didn't seem to be wearing a shirt beneath the coat, and she fought against blushing as she stood across the table from him and looked at the man. She was looking down at the man, but just barely; his immense height, easily in the greater area of six feet, leveled their heights quite a bit, as he looked up at her. When he did she noticed perhaps the most distinguishing and unique characteristic of his of _all_, even surpassing his silver hair; his eyes were green, and looked like a cats. Though they were more vibrant, as if they were glowing.

"Excuse me, sir, I was wondering if you would mind if I sat here."

He seemed to take noticed of her SOLDIER uniform, but didn't seem all that surprised by it, contrasting with virtually everyone else whom she'd seen view her since she'd donned the uniform.

"Not at all." He responded, his tone even deeper and more masculine than Angeal's had been. Though it had another quality to it which she couldn't quite place.

"Thank you." She spoke in gratitude before sliding herself between two seats and then sitting down in the one across from him as she placed her tray on the table. Just as she was about to dig in she noticed something rather crucial; she had no utensils.

"I can't believe I forgot." She spoke in embarrassment while beginning to sit up.

"Here, you can have mine!" Quickly spoke another SOLDIER member behind her. "I won't need them."

"Oh, thank you…" She spoke, taking the utensils within the wrapped up napkin and then turning back towards the man, who seemed to look back at her from the man sitting at the other table.

"By the way, my name is Saya Otonashi. I'm pleased to meet you."

"My name is Sephiroth." He responded. "I am pleased to meet you as well."

She smiled. He didn't. Still, she didn't get the impression that it was because he didn't like her; she got the feeling that he _usually _looked like this.

"You recently joined SOLDIER." He spoke, sounding much like Angeal in his "both stating and acting" approach to asking questions.

"I did. About an hour ago now, actually."

"You've received a sword already."

"Yes. Though I admit, I'm not really accustomed to using this kind of sword."

"You've wielded other types in the past?" He spoke. He must have been genuinely curious since he put it in the form of an actual question.

"Mhm, court swords in fencing and Katana in Kenjutsu."

"I see."

"What sort of sword do _you_ use?" She asked while unwrapping the napkin. Then she remembered who she was talking to.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sir. I forgot that you were first-class! I didn't mean to be disrespectful!" She apologized quickly.

He seemed surprised, but he only just barely showed it.

"It's fine. You don't have to address me with formalities; people do that often enough as it is."

"Thank you sir- I mean Sephiroth." She spoke, smiling in embarrassment at the end.

It was faint, but she thought she saw a smile tugging at his frown.

"I use Masamune."

She looked up from her food.

"I didn't know anyone here knew that much about the outside world."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, I thought you meant you use a Masamune sword; they're some of the most famous blades in Japan, I believe."

"I see. They are known for their quality. It is a welcome coincidence."

"What do you mean?"

"Masamune is the sword which I wield. Its length is comparable to what I believe you would call an Odachi."

At first Saya was surprised. But considering Sephiroth's height, a four, five, or even _six _foot-long blade wouldn't be impossible to wield in combat.

"Well, I can certainly see why you don't carry it around with you like Angeal does." She joked.

Sephiroth also seemed to get the urge to smile once more. Though once again he defeated the whim.

"Angeal's sword is more to him than a weapon. The same could be said of Masamune to me, but we are very understanding partners of one another."

"You must have a very close connection with your sword."

"Yes. Very much so."

She looked back down at her food.

"Do you have a connection with the weapon _you _usually use?" He requested. Considering that he'd told her his situation, it would be rude and dishonest not to tell him about hers. At least the essence of it.

"Yes, actually; my father's blood is a part of it."

"I see."

Saya looked up at him.

"What do your parents do, Sephiroth?" She asked him. However, upon seeing his reaction following the question she wished she hadn't.

"I don't know who my father is. My mother died before I can remember. Her name was Jenova."

"Oh… I'm sorry to hear that… she has a pretty name though."

"You think so?"

She nodded.

"It's very unique."

He looked at her once more. It seemed like he was going to say something, but then she heard his cell phone ring.

"Excuse me." He spoke, moving to sit up from the seat and walking away, to a corner of the cafeteria as he talked to the person on the other end of the phone.

Saya used her fork to move about the food on her plate, but for some reason she wasn't very hungry anymore.

Was she really already getting to know _two _of the _four _highest-ranking people in the group she'd just joined a little over an hour ago? Angeal had seemed rather friendly, if a bit stern, from the start, but _Sephiroth _she had gotten the impression, would have been completely opposed to socializing with her at _all_. She never would have guessed that he would seem more shy than just regularly antisocial.

Speaking of Sephiroth, here he came, apparently already finished with his phone call.

"I apologize, but there are some matters which require my attention." He spoke, though he didn't seem very good at changing his tone to convey his emotions, as he didn't sound sorry at all.

"Oh it's all right. You first class guys sure are busy, I just met Angeal and he had to go attend to something as well." She commented, trying not to make it sound insinuating.

"Unfortunately for us, SOLDIER is not a group in which the higher your ranking, the less your work. However, I shall see you again soon."

She nodded.

"It was a pleasure to meet you, Sephiroth."

"The pleasure was all mine." He responded before nodding as a gesture of goodbye and walking towards one of the elevators, presumably heading up to the SOLDIER director's office.

"_I wonder if Genesis will be as approachable as these two were." _She thought.

In a group of highly-talented people there was usually at least _one _person whom made up for the lack of negativity in others by being a complete jerk on their own. Still, she would have to give him the benefit of the doubt and treat him like a superior. If he ended up being as nice as Angeal or Sephiroth, if also possessing a quirk or two, that would be nice. If not, she would deal with it. Saya had _already _gotten more breaks than she had expected she would receive since joining up.

She prepared to eat what food she could manage, as there was no point in wasting it, and then it would be time to call Genesis, and hope he was like the others.


	4. Genesis Rhapsodos

Saya had never known that the ringing sound on the other end of the phone as you called someone could be so stressful. Neither the tone nor the rhythm sounded any different than the phones she was used to, yet it seemed much more ominous. Then again, perhaps that was because she was calling one of the only remaining high-ranking people whom she hadn't spoken to as if he were just another friend with a car. The ringing finally ceased, and on the other end she heard someone answer; his voice sounded refined and thoughtful, but at the same time seemed to hold a sternness in it which echoed parts of both Angeal's and Sephiroth's personalities.

"Hello?" The voice spoke, not sounding as inquisitive as demanding; his tone was akin to that underlying frustration you feel when you answer the phone of someone whom you just know is going to ask you for money.

"Excuse me, is this Genesis Rhapsodos?"

"It is, may I ask who is calling?" He responded, seeming slightly less flustered. Perhaps it had something to do with how nervous she sounded.

"My name is Saya Otonashi; I was recently admitted into SOLDIER and a man named Angel Hewley told me I should call you when I had finished my time in the Shinra building."

"He did, did he?" The man responded, sounding both frustrated and amused at the same time.

"Yes. In fact he is the one that put yours, his, and the other first-class SOLDIER members' cell phone numbers in my phone's address book."

"I see. That sounds like him. I'd heard that we had a promising new recruit, but I hadn't suspected it would be a woman- young lady, please excuse me. I mean no offense."

"Oh, none taken, sir. In fact almost everyone I've met has said one thing or another about how I am the first female member of SOLDIER."

"No one has given you any trouble, I hope?"

"I haven't had any issues with anyone, it just makes me feel a little anxious, knowing that I stick out like a sore thumb."

On the other end of the phone it sounded as if Genesis was considering a chuckle, but he seemed to decide against it.

"Don't worry, it was like that for us as well; Angeal, Sephiroth, and I. Though Angeal likely would not admit it, and Sephiroth would probably just give one the cold shoulder."

She smiled a bit, thinking how that would probably fit their personalities.

"I can get to the Shinra building in around half an hour. If you will wait for a while, I will take you to the dormitory building where you will be staying and perhaps show you where some important places are in Midgar."

"I would really appreciate that, sir."

"Don't worry about it. It is the duty of SOLDIER first-class members to both be a symbol for other SOLDIER operatives, as well as support them when they need assistance."

"Thank you again."

He seemed to think about chuckling again, but once again restrained himself.

"I will see you soon, miss Otonashi."

Saya said goodbye, and then the phone call ended. As she flipped it closed and put it into a pants pocket the girl decided that he seemed like a nice person. He was the only 1st class SOLDIER member she'd spoken to so far who she did not get past the "honorifics" stage with, but that was fine, as she hadn't expected to so much as meet any of the high-ranking operatives on her first day.

She took her tray to where all of the other used ones were and then walked towards the elevator. Saya opened it and stepped inside, hovering a finger in front of "Lobby". However, she hesitated and gazed at the panel for a few moments before she decided to go back up to the SOLDIER floor.

"_I don't know what I would do with all that free time if I were to just go and stand out in the lobby." _She thought, hoping she would be able to get access to the training room without a reservation of some kind. Even if not she could at least find out the rules and regulations for its use.

The elevator arrived at the right floor and she stepped out if it, heading towards the training room. She passed some other third-class SOLDIER members and exchanged greetings with them before entering the training room and asking the people within if there was any chance that she could use it.

"Sure." One of them said. "You can choose the kind of mission, environment, difficulty, enemies, and more details before entering the training chamber."

"Well, I've never really used it before." She admitted, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Is there some manner of standard program that I could try?" Saya asked him.

He seemed to think for a moment before checking some information on a computer.

"You're a new third class, right? We have some introductory programs that you could try out to see what level you're at. We can go from there."

Saya nodded and agreed before being directed to the training room. Apparently there wasn't some kind of special helmet or anything that she had to wear in order to be immersed in the environment, which was impressive to say the least.

"Don't worry about doing damage to the room." The man told her. "It's made of durable materials meant to withstand continued use by SOLDIER operatives."

She acknowledged the advice and then the floor began to change, expanding to the walls and then the ceiling. Before she knew it, the entire room was more or less a flat gray, with a single person standing several yards away from her. He looked like a typical thug, with dirty, ragged clothing and a knife. She assumed that she couldn't be hurt since he was only a simulation, but considering how advanced the room's technology was it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume it could cause her pain. Without warning, he charged her with the knife, requiring quick reflexes even considering the distance between them. Her body instinctively shifted to the posture in which she would usually draw her sword, but Saya quickly realized that she no longer wielded a katana. Her failure to realize that beforehand almost resulted in her getting stabbed by the thug's knife, but a roll to the side spared her that consequence. Her shoulder armor absorbed most of the impact as she drew up from the floor and pulled the sword from her back to hold in front of her as the man reared around to attack once more.

"_This man… even though he's just an illusion, he's still human…" _She thought as the attacker charged once again. Her hands twisted, as did the sword, and she struck the knife from his hand as well as dealt a blow to his forehead in the same movement with the blunt side of the blade. He fell back with a loud groan as the knife twirled through the air. Neither got the chance to land on the floor, however, as they disappeared into code, leaving her alone in the room.

From unseen speakers in the ceiling the man she'd talked with congratulated her and asked if she wanted to try another simulation. "Yes, please." She responded. "Would it be alright if I fought against a simulation of a SOLDIER member?" She asked him. "Sure, though do you want to try something that hard already?" Saya nodded. Within moments a new enemy appeared in front of her who looked like many of the SOLDIER 3rd classes. He quickly drew the sword from his back and lunged in her direction, forcing her to react instantly. Saya drew herself off-line from him and swung her sword up towards his stomach. However, his entire body flipped up into the air and he avoided her attack as the two drew past each other.

"_He's certainly more adept than the other enemy was." _She thought as her body turned around and came to bare. It took him almost half a second longer to turn around than she did, and Saya capitalized on it by rushing at _him _this time and attacking before he could get his balance. He managed to bring his own sword down in time and the two blades struck each other. Saya let his sword slide down her own before the flat of her blade struck his calf, knocking him to a knee before a blow to his helmet floored him. She placed the sword's blade near his neck, and she had won. It hadn't strained her too much, but if this was only a third class SOLDIER she could only imagine how much ability people like Sephiroth possessed. And supposedly the difference between a SOLDIER 1st class and 2nd was far from proportional in regards to 2nd class to 3rd class.

"Impressive." She heard someone say as the room seemed to return to normal and turned to see a man in a red leather coat standing in the doorway. On his shoulders was black leather armor and he wore a similar emblem on his torso as Angeal, with the same black shirt beneath it. However, his warm red hair and fairer appearance seemed reminiscent more of Sephiroth. His sword was perhaps what distinguished him the most; it was an elaborate rapier with a red blade and exaggerated guard. She immediately recognized the man's voice as that of Genesis Rhapsodos. Apparently all of the 1st class SOLDIER operatives were distinguished by their swords, if not their appearances.

"Your abilities are easily second-class, perhaps even first." He told her, entering the room.

"Why, thank you, sir." She spoke, drawing her sword towards her back.

"Might you humor me?" He requested while bringing his sword up in front of him. It honestly surprised her that he wanted to spar with her within the first few moments of meeting him.

"I- I don't know if we should."

"It is, of course, your choice whether or not to do so. Though I would appreciate the chance to experience your skills myself."

Saya was unsure of whether or not she should. If she overpowered him he might prove to be her first enemy within SOLDIER. Even if she didn't, he would learn her combat style which would only hurt her if she had to fight him for real one day. Then again, he _had _agreed to take her to the apartment building. And the offer to practice with her was probably a gesture of friendship or at least of kindness.

"Sure… if you'd like to." She agreed, keeping her sword out as well.

"Splendid." He spoke before his body seemed to slide through space, the tip of his rapier heading straight between her eyes. It was only an instinctive twitch to draw the blade up and strike it away that allowed her to keep from getting it thrust into her skull.

"_Is he honestly trying to kill me?" _She wondered before he drew back and thrust the rapier forth again. Saya drew to the side to avoid his attack, but before she knew it the blade was heading towards her again, and she had to back off. Genesis followed after her, a salvo of thrusts attacking her every time she moved out of the way.

"_He keeps me on-guard constantly, waiting for me to make a mistake. The only way I can fight that…" _Her sword aimed straight at the ceiling and she waited longer before striking his sword away, until it had almost touched her skin. The moment she felt the tip of the blade her own sword struck the rapier away and she performed her own attack, forcing him to dodge. Genesis pulled himself far to the side and struck her blade away before his flurry of attacks began again. She tried the same tactic once more, but this time when he attacked Genesis entangled the guards of their swords and threw them both up into the air. Saya's surprised gaze followed the weapons for a moment before they came back down to Genesis, and a hand radiating with energy in front of her face. She felt a bead of sweat roll down from her forehead, wondering if he would actually go through with it, but her answer came to her as the light disappeared and he caught both his rapier and her own sword in his hands.

"Your skills are quite impressive. I wasn't even able to best you with swordsmanship alone." He praised her, handing Saya's sword back to her. "Given materia, and some practice, I might be on the other end of the battle some day." He finished.

"Th- thank you, sir." She spoke in recognition. Honestly, however, she was just shocked that he had managed to defeat her, and in such a short time as well.

"_No… I shouldn't be surprised; his abilities are far beyond those of humans and his attacks are different than a-"_

"You are familiar with fencing?" He spoke. However, it reminded her instantly of the typical 1st class characteristic of making questions sound like statements.

"Yes, I used to fence a lot, once upon a time."

"Why did you stop?" He inquired.

"I-" She gazed into his eyes, wondering if he was trying to find out anything more than just her hobbies. "I went through a rough time and I guess I sort of fell out of it."

"Mm. I see. Well you'll have plenty of opportunities to hone your skills in SOLDIER. And if you were able to give a first class a hard time I'm sure you will be able to deal with any tasks a third class would be assigned to complete."

"I'm honored that you think so, sir."

"Tell me, you've fought in battles before. Real ones… _haven't _you?"

Saya felt herself getting on-guard. He was asking her more personal questions than the other. No… maybe it was just the way that he asked that made her feel that way. He might have just had a different approach to conversations which she was unfamiliar with. It didn't change the fact, though, that it brought up a topic which was unpleasant for her. She tried to hide it as best she could as she responded.

"Yes, unfortunately. Though I'm not used to fighting against people as experienced and talented as yourself." Saya spoke, trying to end the conversation on a note of praise.

"I'm flattered. Even still, you did quite well. Hopefully I will be able to see your abilities in action some day in a more… cooperative situation."

She nodded.

"I look forward to it."

"Well, now that I am done interrogating you, shall we go?" He offered, sliding the rapier into its sheath beneath his coat. Saya nodded and placed her sword on her back as they left the training room.

"I'm sorry I wasn't downstairs. I didn't know so much time had passed since we talked on the phone."

"It's fine. I got here early and figured you were getting acquainted with the building so I decided to come find you. I apologize if my interruption stunted your training."

"Oh no, not at all. I was just trying to pass the time until you arrived."

They passed several members of SOLDIER on their way to the elevators but Genesis didn't seem to pay very much attention to them. It seemed that of the three he was the 1st class who seemed to most think of himself as superior to the other members of SOLDIER. She didn't know if she would quite call him arrogant because of that, however. After all he _was _certainly stronger, or at least stronger than _her_. It was strange, then, that he didn't have the same attitude towards her.

Saya and Genesis took their separate elevators down to the lobby, where they met once again and then walked out to his car. It was more blocky than the cars they had in the rest of the world, but even still it seemed to be very expensive and stylish. He encouraged her to get inside as he did so himself. She watched to see what he was going to do with his weapon, but Genesis didn't seemed to pay much attention to it as he got in. Apparently they just let their weapons stay where they were or carried them along. Saya didn't want to make waves so even though she had no sheath for it, she took her sword from her back and kept it with her in the front. Once they were settled he began to drive. The buildings about them seemed to be very industrial in appearance, with not a whole lot of room left for aesthetics. As they drove and she saw more and more buildings which looked alike she came to admire the impressive stature and construction of the Shinra building even more so than she had before. The two rode in relative silence, but not an uncomfortable one, until he brought up a new subject far removed from the previous ones.

"Have you ever heard of a poem called Loveless?"

She glanced over at him and shook her head.

"I can't say that I have."

He smiled.

"I thought not. It's completely understandable; Loveless was written in our area of the world, and we have not even begun to share our _literature_ with the rest of the planet."

They made a turn, adding a sort of real-life pause between his paragraphs.

"Loveless is a poem written by an unknown person telling the story of three friends who go out into the world to obtain the Gift of the Goddess. It has been made into a successful play and there is even a street here in Midgar which is named after it."

"That's interesting. Are you a fan of Loveless?" She asked him. Saya heard a soft chuckle in his throat.

"Yes, you could say that. Yet, for all of its success, the entire poem has never been discovered; its last act has remained unfound."

"Really? That's strange that it could be so popular and still not be finished."

"The poem is finished. That much I am sure of. However, for one reason or another no one has ever found the missing page. Still, many theorize as to what the final act is."

"You as well?"

"Yes, myself included. Unfortunately, our interpretations of the story, and our feelings towards it, affect our outlook on it. So it is unlikely that anyone will ever discover the true ending of Loveless."

"I see."

"You may do very well not to show everyone your abilities within too short a time." He advised her. It caught her off-guard since he had switched topics so suddenly.

"Why is that?"

"Because if you show others your true capabilities while you yet remain unknown to them, they may just believe that _you _are the goddess." He said with a smile, causing Saya to blush and nervously assure him that she wasn't as Genesis laughed and they drove off further into the city.


	5. First assignment

It had been almost a week since Saya Otonashi had become a member of SOLDIER, and the wonderment surrounding her being the first female operative of the elite group was finally starting to die down. She had taken Genesis's advice and refrained from sticking out in terms of abilities so far, but she found it somewhat difficult holding herself back. The living situation she had been in before required her to constantly be ready for attacks at virtually any time, and when _she _did get a respite it was guaranteed that she could actually rest. Who'd have ever thought that her mission with the Red Shield would have been less demanding than being a member of SOLDIER?

In the time that had passed she'd come to meet some other people, mostly while walking the halls of the apartment building. It certainly made her feel awkward being the only female in the entire building, but she was starting to get used to it. Having been traveling for so long with virtually no one but males as travel companions had helped prepare her for the experience. Still, it had been hard transitioning from a ratio of around one in ten to one in who knew how many hundreds. She was just grateful she got to have her own room.

So far the responsibilities of being a member of SOLDIER hadn't been all that difficult, just constant and tedious. She assumed though that the reason for that was simply because she was new. Saya had heard other members of the organization talking of protecting convoys from bandits and going on hunting missions for "monsters". She wondered what kind of monsters they were talking about, and was sure that sooner or later it would become her duty to do the same things. Admittedly, Saya was a bit relieved that the missions the others were talking about weren't related to strictly hurting humans. Even though she was sure that eventually it would become necessary for her to hurt people, hopefully she could merely stun them when necessary.

"_I wonder… will the time ever come when I will have to kill a human being in order to remain a part of SOLDIER? If so, what will I do?"_

Saya was brought out of her thoughts as she nearly walked into Angeal. She jumped back a foot and bowed in apology.

"I'm sorry! I wasn't paying attention!"

"Relax, Saya. It's alright." He spoke to her like she were a shy younger sibling. "How have you been holding up? It's been a while since we've seen each other."

"Oh, I've been alright. I haven't been doing anything particularly demanding. I think Director Dalton is trying to ease me into the swing of things."

His confident smile rose to convey amusement.

"_But_?"

Her expression widened for a moment before she looked away.

"Well, I just wish that I could do something more helpful. It seems like all I ever do is accomplish menial tasks."

"So, you want to get into the thick of it, huh?"

She looked up at him and smiled modestly.

"I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't want so much when I've only been here for such a short period of time."

He waved off her apology.

"Don't worry about it. It's only natural that you get bored when acting like a courier. Especially when you have such… talent."

"Genesis told you?" She spoke without much surprise.

"He did. Apparently you did quite well."

The admiration began to make her feel embarrassed and she felt her cheeks flushing.

"Not quite well enough." She admitted.

"Ha, don't worry about it; if you were able to beat all of us first classes with one hand tied behind your back then _we _would be the ones feelings embarrassed. He said that you gave him a hard time; there aren't many people that can do that."

"I see. Thank you, I guess."

He stood in thought for a moment before turning away from her and walking towards the briefing room.

"Come on, let's go."

She almost stumbled after him as the two made their way to the briefing room.

"Sir- Angeal, what are we doing?"

"I'm going to a meeting involving the approach to a new mission, I thought you might want to tag along and see what it's like."

"Are you sure that would be alright?"

"It's not a problem; it isn't a major mission or anything, but it'll probably be more interesting than fetching Dalton's sandwich at lunchtime."

She smiled.

"Well, if you're sure I'm not imposing…"

"Not at all."

The door to the briefing room opened and they entered, walking past the supply pods. On the other side of the opaque glass door Saya could see several people at the meeting table and she began to feel a bit nervous, but Angeal's confident presence helped calm her as they entered the inner portion of the room. Within sat Director Dalton, as well as Genesis. Sephiroth wasn't present, but Angeal had said the mission wasn't important, so it wasn't a surprise that a first class or two was missing.

"Miss Otonashi, it is a pleasure to see you again." Genesis spoke with a grin, and Director Dalton seemed to notice her as well. She didn't seem unwelcome in the least.

"Saya wanted something interesting to do, so I thought I would let her sit in on one of our meetings." Angeal explained, not in the least trying to state her interests politely. Saya felt embarrassed but the other two seemed to dismiss it quickly enough that she didn't feel the urge to apologize.

"A fine idea; hands-on training can be the best kind." Dalton encouraged as the two newcomers took their seats.

"Well then, now that everyone is here, let's begin; approximately fourteen hours ago we received reports that strange monsters have been appearing in the slums of Midgar."

"_Strange monsters? It couldn't be…"_

"Are you sure they are not simply common monsters which have been subjected to a form of radiation? A simple change of color is enough to confuse those that live beneath the plates."

Saya had heard about the various sectors of Midgar, as well as read about them in a tourist booklet prior to arriving for her job at SOLDIER. There were eight different sectors which all were supported by their own respective mako reactors for energy, and huge columns for support. The reason for the columns' necessity was due to the upper portion of Midgar being suspended on giant "plates" above the lower portion of the city, the slums. While the upper portion of Midgar was more or less well off, the slums were, obviously, not quite as luxurious to live in. They were virtually the same as their outside world equivalents in inner cities in terms of living conditions, but not even the dirtiest slums in the outside world was completely cut off from the sun like the slums of Midgar. It depressed Saya to know that people had to live in such conditions; constantly in a state of desperation, barely enough resources to survive, and looked down upon by any that knew of them as if they were animals…

"Is that the rich country boy in you talking?" Angeal asked with his own version of a grin, amusing Genesis.

"Perhaps."

"We are unsure as to the details of the monsters." Dalton spoke, trying to get the meeting back on track. "That is the why we must investigate. Several have already been killed and regardless of whether they live above the plates or below them, the loss of innocent lives should not be so casually addressed."

"I apologize, Director." Genesis offered.

"It's alright, we can't help who we are."

As they spoke Saya couldn't help but dwell on the matter of the monsters. If she asked about the details of the citizens' deaths it likely wouldn't be too suspicious, but if they all turned out to be drained of blood and the men saw her expression at the information she would likely have to explain what she knew. Chiropterans; monstrous animals which feed on human blood… they were slowly poisoning the outside world little by little. If they were to spread in such a place as Midgar they could take it over in a matter of _days_. And the fact that they would have had to of come from the outside world would only strain political relations between Midgar and foreign powers. No, she would have to wait and see what kind of monsters they truly were. That was if she ever got the chance to; investigating unknown monsters probably wasn't something you assigned to a brand new employee, SOLDIER or not.

"Given the situation, a prompt response is obviously necessary. However, I don't believe two firsts would be necessary to simply investigate this occurrence. Sephiroth is busy with all of the press conferences he has to take part in, and Zack still hasn't returned from his vacation, so it is up to you two to decide who will go."

"It must be difficult smiling for the cameras or relaxing in Costa De Sol." Genesis joked sarcastically.

"We've all got our burdens it seems." Angeal responded.

"So, what do you think? Feel like doing some investigating?" The red-clad man asked.

"Sure. We can't have you getting your nice coat all dirty, now _can _we?" Angeal spoke as he stood from his chair.

"I appreciate your consideration, old friend."

"Very well, then; Angeal will be the one to investigate the monster attacks beneath the plates. Leave as soon as you're ready."

Angeal nodded and turned towards the door. Saya couldn't help but fidget, feeling like a ghost, as he passed her. However, before he reached the opaque glass door, he turned around and faced Dalton again.

"Director, do you think it would be alright if I brought Saya on the mission as well?"

The request surprised Saya enough to cause her to gasp, and even played with the calm smile usually present on Director Dalton's face.

"Are you sure that would be appropriate?" He asked, not criticizing the suggestion, but not seeming enthusiastic about it either.

"She seems to have a good head on her shoulders, and I think Genesis would attest to her combat capabilities, should it be necessary."

"That is most certainly true." The auburn-haired man agreed.

"And you said it yourself; on-hand experience _can _be the best _kind_." Angeal finished.

Saya was honestly surprised he was backing her so assertively, though perhaps that was just another one of his strengths.

Dalton gazed at Angeal for a moment or two, his hands intertwined with each other. He leaned back in his chair and his smile seemed to return to full strength.

"You make a convincing argument, Angeal. So long as miss Otonashi is comfortable with the assignment, I have no qualms with sending her on it as support. Though keep in mind it _is _still _your_ duty to complete it."

Angeal nodded and turned his gaze towards Saya.

"What do you say? Feel like doing something a bit more intensive?"

Saya blinked, hesitating for a reason which was beyond her. Then she nodded.

"Thank you, sir, I'll do my best."

The corners of Angeal's grin turned upwards and he nodded once more.

"All right, get ready and we'll leave soon."

Saya smiled and nodded again as well.

"I won't let you down."


	6. A Monster in Midgar

The darkness beneath the plates was unnatural. There was light and yet at the same time the lack of a sky gave the area a sort of unreal atmosphere. It was unlike any area of the world to which she had ever been, and that was saying something. The buildings were ragged; most of them were constructed of corrugated metal while the others were merely remnants of older buildings or had rag-tag construction. The populace had a coordinating appearance and everyone that lived down here was easily distinguished from visitors by the hand-me-down appearance of their clothing. As well, they had a pale countenance that was unnatural for anyone but those that rarely saw actual sunlight. The worst part of it was that from what she was aware those that lived in sector seven were looked down upon by virtually everyone else, as if they chose to live there. In that respect she was very glad it was with Angeal that she would be undergoing this mission. He had a much more down-to-earth view of the poor and unfortunate. She was still unsure if it had something to do with his own background, as she had yet to learn of his upbringing.

"Are you nervous?" The man in question asked her as they were driven towards their assigned area in a Shinra troop truck. She had to admit, considering that Angeal was a 1st class SOLDIER she would have at least expected him to be given a more luxurious transport but it seemed Midgar put functionality before aesthetics.

"No, not really. I have some experience with stressful situations." She told him humbly, while at the same time finding it amusing how she said "some" experience.

"Well that's good. I hope it holds up if we get into combat."

She took the statement seriously and nodded to show she understood. He nodded back to her, though he was still grinning.

The vehicle came to a halt and they knew the ride was over. Angeal turned towards the back doors and pushed them open as he got out of the truck, surveying their surroundings. Saya moved to the edge of the vehicle and looked out as well. They appeared to be in some sort of market area with a circular space being set up around and bordered by several shops. There were quite a few people walking around the area so it was doubtful they were in any great danger here.

Angeal was already walking towards someone, likely to see if they knew what was going on. When the person, a young critical-looking man with dirty brown hair, saw him at first the questioning didn't go very well. She'd heard that those beneath the plates didn't much care for Shinra, and especially SOLDIER. However, Angeal's personality seemed to win him over with time and soon they knew that the monsters had been sighted mostly on "the street". She had no idea what that meant, as it seemed like there would be many streets down here, but Angeal seemed to know where it was so they left the marketplace… and there was a long path of stone that went past some walls, then further to the right into some manner of park. To the left it went through what looked like a graveyard of rubble, many pieces of which looked to have been huge portions of stone buildings.

Hanging from the wall in front of them she could see a sign; paint on a piece of wood that spelled out "the street". Evidently it wasn't hard to find.

_"Now I imagine we just have to wait for some of the monsters to show up." _Saya surmised.

It was a bit cold; the low level of sunlight and the large open space wasn't exactly a formula for pleasant conditions considering it was getting to be autumn. Or whatever the term for the season might be in Midgar. It didn't help that all she had to wear was the semi short-sleeve sweater-shirt and the rest of her typical issue gear. Angeal seemed unaffected, but it wasn't surprising; apart from his personality and likely background, the man was in excellent physical shape and she imagined that his muscle served to help keep him warm.

The 1st class SOLDIER was looking around, perhaps for monsters or perhaps just to see what was going on. She followed suite and as they surveyed the area she got the impression that there would likely to be rats inhabiting "the street" more than monsters. It was true that there was plenty of space and rubble for monsters to populate the area with little-to-no attention. But she still didn't get the feeling that this was a monster's den. Could the attacks have been instigated by creatures that were passing through the area perhaps?

"You seem like you're deep in thought." Angeal said to her, knocking Saya out of her deductions.

"Oh, I was just thinking that this doesn't really feel like a monster's den is all." She admitted with a nervous smile.

Angeal's grin twitched for a moment and she wondered if she'd offended him. But then his expression changed to show understanding.

"Being from outside Midgar I understand that things must be very different. But here we only use the term "monster" as a universal term when we mention the various creatures. It's true that some of them really do fit the characteristic description, but many _more _of them are no less natural then a cow or a dog. They will attack you if you frighten them, but all they really wish to do is live out their lives like anything else."

Saya didn't understand what he was trying to tell her, though she admittedly hadn't considered that.

"So when you think of whether or not monsters might inhabit the area look for signs that it can sustain life; look for springs, or sources of food, for shelter… you'll have to learn what sustains certain creatures as time goes on, since they don't all work off the typical resources that most living things do, but that'll come with time."

She nodded and understood what he was saying now; "monsters" were just another kind of animal here, if of a more mysterious and unpredictable nature. They wouldn't necessarily live in a creepy cave or some evil-looking castle.

"Thank you, I never thought of that. I'll admit that in the outside world the kinds of creatures that can be found in Midgar would definitely be considered real monsters, so my view was kind of biased. I'm sorry for that."

Angeal gave a short laugh and shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, Saya. You're still getting used to all the stuff that can be found in Midgar; I won't expect you to know everything there is to know about our world out of nowhere. Just like I only know what there is to know of _your _world from what I've learned and interpreted on my own."

Saya smiled and nodded her head again… as she saw the shadow near a piece of rubble glowing brighter before a fiery red shot of energy blasted towards them. Both of them dove out of the way as the blast flew through the air and decimated a large piece of rubble. Both of them rolled up into a combat stance, though Saya admittedly still had a hard time handling the sword as compared to her old one. Angeal held no blade, but she could see that he appeared to be holding a materia in each hand. What kind she could not tell as she had too little experience with the constructs to know much about them, let alone identify one from the other by their color.

From the shadow out wandered a strange looking frog-like creature. It had reddish skin on most of its body, but its pronounced gut was a kind of off-white color in comparison. Needle-like protrusions jutted out of its back, and it walked on two legs, though its arms didn't seem to be of much use. It didn't seem evil, more like agitated, and she wondered what could have caused it to attack them as it did. Regardless, they didn't have time to think; now was the time to act.

Angeal jutted towards the creature with unnatural speed, and another, quicker shot of energy blasted towards him. One of the materia in his hands glowed and the energy reached him, only to be deflected by a mostly-invisible shield. A translucent sphere about him flashed a vibrant light blue for a moment before fading back into obscurity. The defense gave him time to use the other materia, which covered the creature in a strange aura before the creature attacked again, and the energy dissipated in midair. Before it could do anything else Angeal leapt in and, bringing in all of his weight, slammed a fist into the creature's head, knocking it back into the rubble and then down to the ground. She couldn't tell from afar but it seemed to be knocked out, not dead.

Saya blinked, and then realized she hadn't done anything since avoiding the attack. It embarrassed her somewhat that Angeal had been the only one who acted, but she could only hope that next time she wouldn't be caught up in awe.

"Why did you only knock it out?" Saya asked him as he lifted the thing up and dragged it onto the main path.

"Shinra wants to know why it is that these monsters have been showing up in so many places attacking at random. It isn't just in this area; the slums have been having a lot of problems with monster attacks recently. This was our first chance to actually capture one, since we knew that it would attack again. And they decided to use a first to make sure the monster would be captured, not killed."

Saya thought over the situation as Angeal pulled his cell phone from a pocket and called someone, likely director Dalton, to let them know that the mission had been a success. To be honest she was surprised how quickly it had progressed; she'd thought they would have to wait for a long period of time for the monster to make its appearance.

"…understood. I'll bring the monster back in the transport vehicle with us. The science department can take it from there." He finished before closing his phone and asking Saya if she would go get the troops from the truck and have them come pick up the monster while he looked for something with which to cover it.

"We don't want the population getting frightened or angry at the sight of the monster that has been terrorizing them." He explained. Saya agreed and left to get the men in the truck.

Several thoughts were going through her mind as she made her way to her destination, with the first thing being how powerful materia could be. The fact that Angeal could both shield himself from strong attacks and effectively disable said attacks from happening without any sign of effort was amazing. With such qualities in them, it was no wonder only certain people were permitted to use materia, especially considering how huge of a market it could become in the outside world.

The second thing that drifted through her mind was how impressive Angeal was in battle. It was a short encounter, but she could tell that he was very adept at combat. The fact that he could knock out the monster with a single blow from not a sword but his own hand spoke of not only his battle prowess, but his outright physical superiority.

The third and final thing was that she knew for a fact that these attacks were not chiropteran encounters. In a certain way that was a good thing; with such an enclosed space the city of Midgar would be like one huge pot of soup for chiropterans and their thirst for blood. At the same time it meant that she had no real hard proof that chiropterans had even _reached _Midgar. Not that it was a bad thing, but she wanted to at least know for sure that they were here or not. Unfortunately it was a bit like finding out if someone was a witch by drowning them. If there weren't chiropterans here it was a huge mistake, but if there were then the situation would become far more dangerous.

_"Either way, I just need to keep at it. I had no idea that there have been monster attacks in recent times. That just goes to show that I'm not 'in the know' and whatever I can do to get closer to that stream of information the better." _She thought, finally finding the men and telling them what Angeal had told her to say. One person stayed behind to back up the truck while the others came with her.

On the return trip something else occurred to her, now that she had experienced the battle prowess of two 1st class SOLDIERs, albeit never to their full extents. It was only a rumor, but she had heard that Sephiroth, Angeal and Genesis often sparred in a separate training room from the main one. The part of the rumor that was significant to her, however, was that she had _also _heard that Sephiroth often fought against both Genesis and Angeal at the same time, and that he had never been beaten by them or anyone else within any context. If that was true then he would be an immovable object in her mission. She had no intention of fighting anyone amongst them to begin with, but from what she'd heard of his exploits he was all but invincible. If he for whatever reason ended up being under of the influence of the chiropterans, her mission might very well come to an end.

Angeal seemed to notice how deep in thought she was as the soldiers ran to pick up the unconscious creature wrapped in a tarp. He said nothing to her as they traveled back to the truck and drove off.

_"If Director Dalton really is a chevalier; one of the intelligent chiropterans with a human appearance, and he commands the 1__st__ class SOLDIERs, we're in big trouble."_


End file.
